Leave Pratt City alone, say residents polled on chop-up

BIRMINGHAM POST-HERALD — Wednesday, July 7, 1965
Leave Pratt City Alone, Say Residents Polled On Chop-Up
Residents of Pratt City, called
in a telephone survey by The
Post-Herald, unanimously denounced the proposed chop-up
of Birmingham that would put
Pratt City and Sandusky into
the Fifth Congressional District
with the Bessemer Cut-off and ,
other counties.
The "chop-up has been
proposed in the Senate by Sens.
Clayton Carter of Guntersville
and Ray Lolley of Enterprise.
Their plan also would shift
.Precincts 19, 38, 39 and 50 from
. the over-populated Sixth District of Birmingham to the Fifth
District.
M. H. Barnes Jr., 101
. Alder-av, said that Pratt City
had been used like a "football"
and kicked around for years.
"Pratt City has always been
discriminated against and I
don't think it ought to be
separated from Birmingham,"
he said.
Mr. Barnes, who family has
been in the Pratt City area
since before 1900, said the area
had little representation now
and didn't even have a state
liquor store.
"Honestly, even if I thought it
was good for us, I would still
resent it because we have been
kicked round so much," he said.
Barnes said that recent road
construction in the community
had "left us sitting on an
island" and was another case of
discrimination.
B. R. Turner, 909 Trilby-st,
said "I voted for Mr. Buchanan
and I think I should have him
as my congressman. I'm
against any move to split Pratt
City from Birmingham 100 per
cent."
Ronald C. Whitely of
1028 Lafayette-st said, "I do not
see how it could be done to us. I
do not think that it would be
profitable to do this, it would be
a bad move."
C. M. Young of 1201 Mitch-
ell-st emphasized the history of
the Pratt City area inytefferson
County.
"Pratt City is one of the oldest cities in.Jefferson County,"
he said, "it is older than Birmingham and I would rather see
it stay in the same congressional
district as Birmingham. I am
well satisfied with the district
set-up the way it is."
Lawrence Harreil of 200
Fifth-wy said he also was "not
in favor" of the chop-up.
"I am against taking Pratt
City out of the Birmingham congressional district,", he said.
The same sentiments were
voiced by Mrs. Charles Dis-
mukes of 201 Fifth-wy
"I do not approve of if at
all," she said, "I just do not
see the necessity of putting the
City of Birmingham into two
different congressional districts.
Eugene Williams Sr., Ill Ma-
ple-av—"I don't think it would
be such a good idea. I think
Pratt City has been cut off long
enough."
William J. Williams, 408 Ma-
ple-av—"As it stands now, Jefferson County is supporting
three-fourths of Alabama. To
put it with the other small counties would delete from the resources of Jefferson County."
Mrs. Jim Wallace, 713 Maple-
av—"I feel it shouldn't be done
like that. I like it like it is."
J. E. Roddy, 108 Mildred-av—
"I would rather for it to stay
like it/ is. There's too much going on now, getting everybody
confused."
Mrs. Frank J. Stack, 805 Hi-
bernation-st—"I've been satisfied with everything like it has
been."
J. W. Gillespie, 923 Hiberna-
tion-st — "We can elect own
own Congressman from this
district—Birmingham. If you
get a man from way off somewhere, you wouldn't know who
to vote for or what he was. If
you get him from home, you
know who he is."
John P. O'Hare, 1008 Hiber-
nation-st — "Off-hand, I don't
think I would be in favor of it.
I'm not in favor of butchering
up Jefferson County. I think
we're doing pretty good."
"It seems like Pratt City is
left out of everything. If we
could stay in and get something done I would be in favor
of that or maybe a change
would be good for us," said
Mrs. Bernard Green, 200 Page-
st.
"What's wrong with it as it
is? I would like for it to stay
like it is," Herbert Smith, 205
Cherry-av, said.
"I like it like it is," Mrs.
Frank Holmes, 209 Maple-av.

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BIRMINGHAM POST-HERALD — Wednesday, July 7, 1965
Leave Pratt City Alone, Say Residents Polled On Chop-Up
Residents of Pratt City, called
in a telephone survey by The
Post-Herald, unanimously denounced the proposed chop-up
of Birmingham that would put
Pratt City and Sandusky into
the Fifth Congressional District
with the Bessemer Cut-off and ,
other counties.
The "chop-up has been
proposed in the Senate by Sens.
Clayton Carter of Guntersville
and Ray Lolley of Enterprise.
Their plan also would shift
.Precincts 19, 38, 39 and 50 from
. the over-populated Sixth District of Birmingham to the Fifth
District.
M. H. Barnes Jr., 101
. Alder-av, said that Pratt City
had been used like a "football"
and kicked around for years.
"Pratt City has always been
discriminated against and I
don't think it ought to be
separated from Birmingham,"
he said.
Mr. Barnes, who family has
been in the Pratt City area
since before 1900, said the area
had little representation now
and didn't even have a state
liquor store.
"Honestly, even if I thought it
was good for us, I would still
resent it because we have been
kicked round so much," he said.
Barnes said that recent road
construction in the community
had "left us sitting on an
island" and was another case of
discrimination.
B. R. Turner, 909 Trilby-st,
said "I voted for Mr. Buchanan
and I think I should have him
as my congressman. I'm
against any move to split Pratt
City from Birmingham 100 per
cent."
Ronald C. Whitely of
1028 Lafayette-st said, "I do not
see how it could be done to us. I
do not think that it would be
profitable to do this, it would be
a bad move."
C. M. Young of 1201 Mitch-
ell-st emphasized the history of
the Pratt City area inytefferson
County.
"Pratt City is one of the oldest cities in.Jefferson County,"
he said, "it is older than Birmingham and I would rather see
it stay in the same congressional
district as Birmingham. I am
well satisfied with the district
set-up the way it is."
Lawrence Harreil of 200
Fifth-wy said he also was "not
in favor" of the chop-up.
"I am against taking Pratt
City out of the Birmingham congressional district,", he said.
The same sentiments were
voiced by Mrs. Charles Dis-
mukes of 201 Fifth-wy
"I do not approve of if at
all," she said, "I just do not
see the necessity of putting the
City of Birmingham into two
different congressional districts.
Eugene Williams Sr., Ill Ma-
ple-av—"I don't think it would
be such a good idea. I think
Pratt City has been cut off long
enough."
William J. Williams, 408 Ma-
ple-av—"As it stands now, Jefferson County is supporting
three-fourths of Alabama. To
put it with the other small counties would delete from the resources of Jefferson County."
Mrs. Jim Wallace, 713 Maple-
av—"I feel it shouldn't be done
like that. I like it like it is."
J. E. Roddy, 108 Mildred-av—
"I would rather for it to stay
like it/ is. There's too much going on now, getting everybody
confused."
Mrs. Frank J. Stack, 805 Hi-
bernation-st—"I've been satisfied with everything like it has
been."
J. W. Gillespie, 923 Hiberna-
tion-st — "We can elect own
own Congressman from this
district—Birmingham. If you
get a man from way off somewhere, you wouldn't know who
to vote for or what he was. If
you get him from home, you
know who he is."
John P. O'Hare, 1008 Hiber-
nation-st — "Off-hand, I don't
think I would be in favor of it.
I'm not in favor of butchering
up Jefferson County. I think
we're doing pretty good."
"It seems like Pratt City is
left out of everything. If we
could stay in and get something done I would be in favor
of that or maybe a change
would be good for us," said
Mrs. Bernard Green, 200 Page-
st.
"What's wrong with it as it
is? I would like for it to stay
like it is," Herbert Smith, 205
Cherry-av, said.
"I like it like it is," Mrs.
Frank Holmes, 209 Maple-av.